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  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    What meetings are governed by CA Proposition 54?

    Does CA Proposition 54 cover bodies like county Human Rights Commissions? Mine is trying to say that they are exempt from the requirement to make an audio recording of meetings because: "The Commission doesn’t have the power to vote or passing laws." I'm told they are just an advisory group to the Board of Supervisors but […]

    June 6, 2017

  • Latest News

    Blog

    Vallejo’s bankruptcy highlights need for transparency in city-union contracts

    […] secret, negotiations themselves are conducted in secret, and negotiated contracts are ratified in secret. By the time the public gets to see the compensation provisions of a new union contract, it is already a done deal--indeed, any effort to change the terms likely would be a breach of the contract. This cozy arrangement is […]

    June 3, 2009

  • Asked and Answered

    Court Records

    Is It Legal to Publish Personal Information Found in Court Documents?

    This is a question about publishing in formation found in documents from the Family Division of Superior Court regarding a divorce. Is it legal for us to mention the divorce in our article? Also, is it legal for us to publish the home address of a person in connection with our investigative reporting? We […]

    April 21, 2022

  • Latest News

    Blog

    Media heroism turned on its head: The real Manning scandal

    […] media mythology, the years from the mid-‘60s to the mid-’70s were the classical age, a heroic time of moral clarity. Mainstream journalism marinated in adversarialism. Little Southern newspapers infuriated their own readers by staring down segregation. Foreign correspondents forced upon an unwilling public the realities of a brutal war. Network news ignored official disdain […]

    March 20, 2013

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Closed door meetings benefitted labor union at cost of public tidelands

    […] Further, courts have reached similar findings, indicating that a "series" of communications can be interpreted as a "meeting" for the purposes of the Brown Act. See Stockton Newspapers, Inc. v. Redevelopment Agency, 171 Cal. App. 3d 95, 105 (1985); Common Cause v. Stirling, 119 Cal. App. 3d 658 (1981). Turning now to the situation […]

    November 15, 2011

  • Latest News

    FAC News Press Release

    Veteran First Amendment Lawyer Glen A. Smith Named FAC’s First Legal Fellow

    […] defamation and privacy law. From 1988-1993, Smith served as Director of Litigation for the Los Angeles Times, where he both supervised outside counsel and personally represented the newspaper and its reporters in defamation, privacy, California Public Records Act, reporter’s shield law and other cases. He also provided advice and legal support for journalists seeking […]

    July 17, 2018

  • Asked and Answered

    Court Records

    Can We Publish Discovery & Depositions From a 1994 California Case?

    We operate a news publication.We have obtained discovery and depositions from the 1990s for a California civil case. There were no court orders sealing the discovery or depositions. Can we use that material for a story?

    April 21, 2022

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Does the Brown Act apply when board members attend a Town Hall meeting?

    At a recent Town Hall meeting, water rates were discussed. A majority of directors of the water district were in attendance to answer any questions. They did not notice this meeting. Items were discussed that they will vote on. Is this a Brown Act violation?

    December 29, 2011

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Emergency agenda items and proper notice requirements

    My first question is: What is the correct procedure for adding an "emergency" item to a city Council agenda? Recently, a City Council added an "emergency" closed session to its agenda to discuss "anticipated litigation" without any motions or votes. My second question is about anticipated litigation: Must it be described in some fashion […]

    June 14, 2009